Demand the Unmasking of ICE Agents

In recent months, there have been increasing reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents concealing their identities, such as in the high-profile kidnapping of grad student Rümeysa Öztürk and the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. ICE agents have been documented wearing masks and plain clothes, misleading police, and using unmarked vehicles. They have also been refusing to identify themselves or the agency they work for as they conduct “masked abductions,” prompting questions about the legality and ethics of law enforcement operating without basic transparency.

This anonymity and lack of accountability have also broken public trust in law enforcement. Across the country, several people have been charged with impersonating ICE agents to demand money, solicit sexual favors, kidnap people, and terrorize already vulnerable communities. The murderer of Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband also posed as a police officer. “The lines have blurred, not just between enforcement and abuse, but between officer and imposter,” leaving victims and bystanders alike uncertain how to act in these dubious situations.

Lawmakers in California have introduced legislation requiring the identity and affiliation of ICE agents to be displayed while interacting with the public. Additionally on the federal level, Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) has introduced the No Masks for ICE Act to bring “basic transparency and accountability to immigration enforcement” and combat the climate of fear, chaos, and confusion caused by these anonymous perpetrators.

Transparency and accountability in law enforcement are a matter of public safety. Call on both your state and federal level representatives to support and enact laws to ensure the proper identification of ICE agents.